


These Pigs Are After Me

by MaggsHatesHerself



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Asshole Gerard Way, Bullying, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, My First Fanfic, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaggsHatesHerself/pseuds/MaggsHatesHerself
Summary: Frank Iero is gay and everyone knows it. He's tormented because of it. He's friendless, and after coming out to his parents he's homeless.  He finds comfort in Mikey, who just so happens to be brother to the person who's made his life hell for years on end.  There's no way to make it out of this unscathed.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 11
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how to write mean character, bullies, or american schools. Sorry if something is innacurate on unrealistic or if it's long, wrote this to vent. Cristicism welcomed, no matter how harsh.

One week away from junior vacation Frank tries to lay low as much as he can. More than he already has. Whenever we near a break people seem to pick on him not just more, but harder. He starts cutting gym, thinking that one week of absences wouldn't really affect his grade much. That class was where all of it would intensify. Men's locker rooms with no adult supervision. He was so vulnerable there.

Since ninth grade, he'd been tormented by the whole class. It took just one person to make everyone bandwagon against Frank. It was constant now. Frank didn't even have a lab partner. He'd get spitballs thrown at him in each class. Belittled for his looks, for his sexuality, for just existing. 

Just one more year to go. If he had already survived three, what was one more?

Instead, he goes to the library. Sometimes he read, sometimes he'd study, sometimes he'd just watch whatever series Netflix recommended him. Most times he'd just cry in the stacks. Fuck, that sounds pathetic. But crying was often all he could do. With the dead silence in the library, you can't help but just think. Think about how everything just sucks. And that's okay. Sometimes, crying in the stacks is okay. 

Footsteps are muffled due to the carpeting, but he can still sense the heaviness of someone nearing. He smells the perfume, sees a quick shadow and hears books being moved around him. 

They walk in his aisle and jump when they see him. Frank had wiped away his tears but he can't hide redness under his pale skin. The boy, younger than him, holds a few books. He looks around almost as if looking for someone. Someone to get him out of this situation. 

“Are you okay?” He asks slowly, unsure of what to do. “I mean, of course, you're not. What's wrong? Wanna talk about it?” His body is stiff, some would say uncomfortable. 

Of course Frank wasn't going to confide in a total stranger. Someone he'd just met, someone from the school who'd likely just belittle him or spread even more rumors around. No, Frank was lonely but not that lonely. 

“I came out to my parents and they kicked me out. Before summer break.” The other man, blonde, opens his mouth and sets the books in his hands on a table behind him. Then he kneels next to him and tries to soothe him. not knowing much of what to do.

“Don't you have anyone you can stay with?” He asks, to which Frank replies by laughing shyly. A joke only funny to him. If the other boy knew Frank he'd laugh too. As if he had friends, and then shaking his head. “Well... I'm sure things will turn up. Your parents will change their minds soon enough” 

He didn't get it. An attractive straight man like that would never get it. They never do. 

“Yknow when my brother came out my dad took it really bad. Things at home were hard, we thought of running away for some time.” Frank's ears perk up and he looks up to him “they eventually realize that you're their son. I promise they won't be mad at you forever. They just need time to process.”

It wasn't much but it was the most comfort someone had provided. 

“That's good, about your brother.” Frank feels his muscles relax around the blond. There are a few short seconds of silence. The boy smiled at him softly. 

“I'm Michael, everyone calls me Mikey,” He says to break the silence. 

“Frank” Mikey stands up and claps his hand together to get the dust off of them. He reaches out to the boy, extending an arm to Frank with a reassuring nod. 

Mikey has such a great smile, Frank thought. He took the hand in front of him and pulled himself up. Frank almost felt tempted to hug him. Instead, Mikey offered a pat to the shoulder. That was enough. 

“Do you have class?” Mikey asks and turns to the books he had set earlier on the table behind him. 

Frank shakes his head. “Help me put these back then” Mikey commands.

For the rest of the hour Frank follows him, not doing much. Frank doesn’t know where anything goes so he isn’t much help. He just stays behind Mikey and hands him book after book. They make casual banter. Mikey is a freshman, so Frank tells him about all the teachers he’ll have next year and what the classes are like. 

“Do you know Gerard?” Mikey asks and doesn’t turn to look at him until he notices the uncomfortable silence coming from the boy. “Gerard Way, do you know him?

“Yes. He’s been making my life hell since the 9th grade.” 

Mikey nods slowly, thinking, mouth subtly agape. His eyes then turn back to Frank's and lips curls upward. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it then.” 

Mikey had such a nice smile. He was such a nice person. Kind of hot too. He’s considerably ripped in a tank top that made Frank wonder how he had not been dress coded yet. When Mikey brings his arms to a top-shelf, Frank can’t help but stare. It felt shameful and inappropriate, to be checking out a freshman he’d just met. The first person to actually be nice to him. He shakes the thought and they continue talking. Frank plays guitar and Mikey played guitar for a few months before he moved onto bass. They have a few things in common. 

They’re talking about comics as the bell rings. Frank doesn’t want to go. Doesn’t want the interaction to end. That was the last bell and soon he’d have to go home to his motel he’d been paying with his savings from an old summer job. He was waiting for his aunt, only aunt, to come back to town near the end of the month to move in with her. Until then it was a poorly lit room, uncomfortable bedding, and hearing sex down the hall every day. He didn’t even dare to go down the halls at night, he always thought he’d get murdered. 

“If you ever have this hour free again, come by. I’m always here before the last bell.” Mikey says once again smiling. Frank then notices the blue lanyard with the school logo around his neck. Oh, he was the librarian's assistant. Frank always wanted that job because it meant having this period free, but the position is open only to freshmen and at that time he was too insecure to solicit. 

“I will.” Frank says with a grin, first genuine smile in a long time. 

Leaving the library he remembers to get his science textbook from his locker. He waits a few minutes for the halls to be almost empty and goes to get it. He knew exactly what he had coming when he closed the steel door and felt a hand grab him. A hand so cold and pale he would've recognized it from anywhere. They twist his wrist slightly to make him wince but not loud enough for anyone around to hear. He looks to the dark-haired boy in front of him.

“Missed you.” Gerard says between chapped lips. His hair is wet, just washed after gym class. The hall is now empty and Gerard throws Frank onto the lockers. The backpack behind him cushions the blow, but the sound and impact is still loud enough to shock him. 

“You’re not avoiding me, are you?” Gerard says darkly. 

No, of course not. How self-centered of Gerard to think that Frank was cutting class just because of him. He was avoiding Gerard AND his posse.

“Fucking bitch.” He slams an open palm into the locker and makes Frank jump. Gerard was being meaner. More aggressive, more hostile. Like he’d just have a bad day and was taking it out on him. 

“I haven't done anything to you” Frank says in a low whimper 

“You’re a filthy little fag” The word is hateful on Gerard’s lips. There’s nothing but anger in his eyes. His tone is so harsh and seething that it calls Frank's gaze. He’d been made fun of for being gay, sure. He just didn’t know Gerard was so offended by it. Like it in some way affected him, or insulted his very core. 

This is the same boy who paints his nails and does his makeup, who keeps his hair long and kissed a senior on a dare without hesitation. But that was the thing, no one dared to label him. Gerard was the one doing the labeling, he told who was what. 

Frank wanted to talk back. And say what? When he tries to escape, glances through Gerard's shoulder right at the exit, he’s grabbed by the shoulder and a knee forcefully makes his way through his leg and hits itself with Frank’s crotch. Immediately Frank recoils onto himself. He wants to slide down the steel doors but hands hold him up. 

“Fuck you, man” Frank says low, coming out as almost a breath. Gerard catches it and his face fills with even more anger. A punch to the nose makes his eyes well up, he groans at the pain. Liquid pours out of it, blood. Gerard watches amused, but still angry. It was the first time he’d gotten really physical with Frank. He’d been through it all, but never a punch. Much less to the face. Frank Iero had officially experienced all types of bullying. 

“Don't even fucking talk to me like that again.” Gerard spits in his face and leaves. 

I’d be happy never talking to you again, period. Frank thinks. He can’t cry, his eyes feel wet and his feelings are hurt but when are they not. The last drop of dignity he had was trickling down his nose to his lips, and it tasted sort of like copper. 

How shameful this is. How lonely and embarrassing. Walking to the bathroom to get tissues knowing that he has no one to go home to, no one to vent with, no one to even say Hey dude, you good? at the sight of bright red blood on his face and hands.  
God how ashamed he is right now. How lonely and embarrassed. He literally had no one to help him right now. His parents weren't talking to him and he had barely any friends. 

An insane amount of tissues later and the bleeding stops, the sink has drops of red and the trash can looks like someone tried to clean up a murder scene with just tissues. He cleans up the sink, rinsing it with water since there's rarely any soap in the dispenser. There's still a faint outline, you can tell if you look at it. But Frank lets it be and makes his way home. Once again, ashamed and lonely. 

The basketball court was only a right from the library. Frank doesn’t turn with the crowd, he continues straight on and opens the glass doors. Warm air hitting him. Mikey’s eyes perk up from the front desk, his eyebrows raise in delight when he sees Frank. 

“Hey!” Mikey says as Frank approaches. The blonde shuts his eyes for a second as he thinks “Frank!” He remembers the name. 

“How’s everything?” Mikey asks, closing a document on the library computer and shifting his attention to Frank. 

They talk casually, just like yesterday. With Mikey it was so pleasant, so easy. He’s also quick to confide in Frank, just like he had yesterday. He says that today marks two weeks since his dad left unannounced. Said he was coming back in an hour and it’s been over 300. The way he says it makes Frank laugh, which is maybe inappropriate but Mikey laughs with him. With him. 

“And I was thinking since the school year is almost over you can bring your guitar one of these days. I’d love to hear you play.” 

Frank thinks at the guitar case currently open on his bed at the motel. All he had done recently was play, it’s all he found comfort in. But yesterday a string broke and he was too frustrated to fix it. Maybe he’d get around to doing that today.

“That sounds...” He’s interrupted by the confused and concerned look Mikey shoots him. 

“Your nose is bleeding” He says and stands up, his tone makes it sound like its a big deal when it isn’t. “Let me give you some paper, stay there.” He says. leaving his seat towards the bathroom. 

Before Frank can stop him a gust of cold air fills the library. He looks towards the doors, fuck, Gerard. The dark-haired boy gives Frank a smile, an ingenuous one, and walks toward him “So this is your hiding spot?” Was Gerard looking for him? 

“You can try and hide from me, but I can still kick your ass right here right now. I don’t give a shit” Gerard has him grabbed by the collar. Eyes going dark. They look down at Frank’s lips and nose, all red from fresh dripping blood. “How about I finish the job? Completely break that nose of yours.” Gerard, very strangely, swipes blood from under his nose with his thumb. “You’re pathetic.”

“Gee.” He hears from behind him. Frank, over Gerard's shoulder, sees Mikey walking towards them with a wad of toilet paper in his hands. He hands it to Frank, who holds it up to his nose and watches the other two men interact. “What do you need?” There’s a familiarity in his voice when they talk, as if they’ve talked a million times before. 

Gerard takes a folded note from his pocket and hands it to Frank. It’s a pink piece of paper, which Frank knew to be a disciplinary warning. “Supposed to turn it in two weeks ago. Please sign it for me”

Frank is taken aback by Gerard’s use of the word please

“Mom is supposed to sign that.”

“I’m kind of supposed to turn it in right now, no time for mom.”

Mom? 

“You already waited two weeks, what’s one more day?” Mikey retaliates, it’s clear he doesn’t want to do this for Gerard, it’s clear this isn't the first time he’s had to do this.

“Do you really want them to call her?”

“You're incredible. Give me.” He takes the paper out of Gerard's hands and goes over to the desk about 15 feet away from them to sign the paper. “You okay, Frank?” He asks before turning around. Frank nods. 

“I see you've met Mikey.” Gerard says stern but quiet. 

“Didn't know you were friends...”

“We’re not.” Gerard says prompting a look from Frank “he's my brother” 

Frank shatters first a minute. 

“I-”

“Doesn't fucking mean I like you anymore. Still going to beat your ass. If I don't see you tomorrow in gym I'll come here and kill you.” He says smiling, Mikey was likely looking their direction. 

When Mikey approaches them he stops quickly to read the paper he’d just signed, he opens his mouth in shock and Gerard takes it out of his hand. 

“Gee-”

“shut the fuck up, we’re not talking about this.” They exchange glances, they look like they’re fighting with their eyesight. Disappointment and confusion in Mikey’s eyes, frustration and anger in Gerard’s. Frank is too busy thinking though, he doesn't care. 

Gerard had just threatened him with actual death, and Frank wasn’t scared. Cause Mikey had talked about his brother before, his gay brother.

“Is that your only brother?” Frank asks just to reassure himself before actually thinking it. 

“Yes, he is”

Gerard, his gay brother. Now Frank had something to hold against him, maybe even an explanation to so many years of trouble. 

The next day Frank doesn’t even think about heading to gym, he had a friend waiting for him in the library. Three days until the school year is over and it seemed like he had senior year set out for him. Finally, a friend. 

His backpack lunges him away, he sees Gerard’s manicured hands. His nail polish now red. It suits him and the whole prince of darkness vibe Gerard carries with him. 

“Are you lost?” He says sarcastically to Frank. 

“I’m not scared of you, Gee.” The nickname on his lips sent disgust through Gerard's body. You could tell that he was uncomfortable and didn’t expect for him to say that. Yet his face maintains stern and threatening like he’s calling his bluff. 

“Listen, I know you're gay.” 

In the fraction of the second so many emotions flash through the bully. Smugness went away real quick. Fear, anger, confusion, and then fear again. So much fear. Before Frank could even realize it he was being dragged to a blind spot near the cafeteria where an emergency exit was, and where no one could see. 

“Let's do this then” Gerard rolls his sleeves and gives Frank a punch to the cheek. It was hard enough to turn Frank’s face to the side. Everything happened too quickly for him to think his next move. Maybe he should’ve gone to gym after all. 

What a coward, Gerard was. Taking him to such a secluded area only then to beat him senseless. At the same time, Frank would’ve hated for there to be a crowd of people rooting against him. But maybe Mikey would’ve made an appearance and save him from his brother. 

“I'll out you.” Frank says. Another punch. Harder.

“Not if I kill you first” Third swing, this one Frank somewhat absorbs by putting a hand up and grabbing his fist. It hurts and takes him back but he’s still standing and at least it didn’t hit him. Frank moves his leg to trip Gerard, who falls on his ass. When he tries to stand Frank puts a foot on Gerard’s stomach. A move he'd learn from Gerard himself. Frank knows Gerard is either off his game or caught off guard, otherwise he would have never let himself fall. 

“You're either very insecure about what a queer you are or you're so in love with me you have to beat me senseless to make up for it” Frank says. He thought it would feel good to finally stand up for himself. He'd dream about this so many times. But it didn't feel good. How did he sink so low? Becoming the bully himself He just threatened to out someone for christ's sake.

“Of course I'm not telling anyone you're gay.” Gerard blinks, relieved but still terrified all at once. “But please just stop tormenting me.” Frank's words come out broken. He was. He was, in a way, broken. Lonely and embarrassed. Ashamed and frightened, his whole high school had been like that. “Please” His cheeks cover themselves with tears. He really couldn't help but cry. Gerard stiffens under him. As sobs come out of Frank his knees give in and he falls to the floor. 

“Uh” Gerard starts. He’s looking for words, slowly sitting up and staring at the boy in shock

“Y’know Mikey told me about your parents, that they kicked you out.” Gerard’s voice comes out low and soothing. Frank had never heard him speak so softly. 

“Don't” Frank cringes at the uncomfortable situation. “I don't need your pity. Please just leave me alone.” 

They sit together in a minute of awkward silence. 

“I'm insecure. Very.” Gerard says. The other boy, with a furrowed brow, looks to meet Gerard's gaze. “I don't want anyone to know. My dad beat me senseless when he found out.”

Frank scoffed. He didn’t want to be disrespectful but it didn’t even seem real. That’s when Gerard raises his shirt to reveal a bruise, a big one, on his stomach. It wasn’t an old one but it wasn’t new either. 

“So what? You beat me instead?” 

“I don't know... I don't know.” Gerard seems more confused than Frank. “I wish I could kill you sometimes. If not you then myself.” Frank catches him tug at his sleeves and look at his wrist while he mentions killing himself. “Please just” his hair falls over his eyes “don't tell anyone” 

Now Gerard is crying. Silently. He manages to look kind of cute while doing it. Eyes glassy and puffed. Face red in just the right places. Not like Frank who would turn scarlet all over.

“I don't know how to trust you” Frank finally says.

There's silence. Deadly and painful. The two have stopped crying. It felt as if they could finally make peace, but Frank is hesitant. He hadn't learned how to forgive yet. How do you even forgive someone like Gerard Way? Years of insults and nicknames, spitballs, having things taken from him, being shoved into lockers, being verbally abused, having to take down social media because of the amount of abuse he'd receive. Gerard Way had ruined his life. And for what? Because he was afraid of being outed himself? No, it didn't make sense. None of it made sense. 

“I have a guest bedroom. You can stay with me and Mikey while your parents... yknow” Gerard whispers. Hands shaking and eyes shifting, he seems almost scared that he asked. “I'll stay out of your way, we don't even have to talk.” There's so much naivete in his voice. Does Gerard not realize how much he's resented by the other boy? How could he be so blind? 

Frank starts to talk but there’s so many thoughts in his head. How do you go from hate to living together so fast? 

“It doesn't have to be for long. Few days, maybe weeks. You can start today. The guest room is always clean.”

This is so weird. So foreign. It feels like a trap. This would make sense coming from Mikey. So warm and nice. But Gerard? Fuck, it's Gerard. 

"I have to think about this." Bullshit. The worst part of the offer was that Frank didn’t have to think about it at all. Anything beat where he was now. This was his best choice. Arguably, it was his only choice. 

Gerard grabs the boy’s phone from his front pocket and hands it to him. He tells him to write down his phone number and Frank complies. Putting “G” as the contact name instead of his actual name. The word Gerard already tormented him in his mind, on his lips, he didn’t have to have it on his phone too.

“Listen, I know what you're going through” 

“No, you don’t. You have a home.” Frank is offended, tired. His eyes are threatening on Gerard. 

“And I'm trying to invite you to it.” 

“You tormented me for years” Now he can’t even meet his gaze. He’s looking down with eyes wet. 

“And I'm sorry.” 

“Why did you do that to me?” 

“I told you, I was- am ins-”

“No, why did you do that to me?” Frank once again starts to cry 

Gerard stares at the floor looking for words. He goes to put a hand on Frank’s but he’s quick to pull away. 

“Let me make up for it.” Gerard coos. 

“I'll never be comfortable with who I am and it's because of you. When I look back at my life, all there'll be is you” 

“Frank-” 

“You put me through hell” Frank’s voice grows louder. 

“Frank..”

“I hate you.” His attempt to scream comes out weak and broken. 

“Frank.” 

Gerard grabs the other boys' wrist. Softly. Not like all the other times Gerard has pulled him. Frank starts to cry. So hard. So so hard. Gerard is still unsure of what to do. He puts an arm over the boy. Which seemed inappropriate, surely the last thing Frank wanted was to be touched by him. But this was different. His intentions were different. He was slow and soft and was scared to alter Frank. Frank sunk into himself, and then to Gerard as he pulled him into an embrace. 

“They just threw me out” He scoffs. “They’re supposed to love me y’know. They were all I had and they threw me out.” Frank says against Gerard’s chest. He feels himself relax to the sound of Gerard’s heart beating. His eyes dry and he’s done crying. Hopefully forever. Maybe he would take Gerard’s invitation. Maybe he would go on to live with him, at least for a few weeks. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. He’d finally be happy... somewhat. Maybe.


	2. I'm Who I've Got To Be pt1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was going to be a lot longer but I decided to split it in two so I'll be posting the second part hopefully this week. it's also written I'm just waiting for feedback from my beta-reader. sorry for taking so long to update this :)

It was the second to last day of junior year. Frank was still in that motel. He reeked of chlorine. Not the type from a pool, more like a combination of cheap cleaning supplies. He also found a bloodstain on the carpeting. Big and round, blended in with the brown fuzz. His hair was starting to get dirty and greasy from lack of washing. It looked darker and shinier. Generally, Frank looked homeless. Which wasn't far from the truth. 

Just yesterday he had that awkward interaction (or whatever the fuck it was) with Gerard. When he got to his room he was quick to put it out of his head. Instead, his fingers trailed the night away on his guitar, and he played for the first time since leaving home. 

He had hoped that Gerard would forget about it too. That he’d shrug it off, put it away, act like it never happened. But more realistically Gerard would be harder on the boy. Cause that’s what a fragile masculinity and ego will do to you. 

But if it came between being the same or being meaner, Frankie never thought Gerard would be nicer. So it was shocking for everyone when he was kind of decent. 

Nice, of course, meaning that he was ignored in the hallways. But that was a huge improvement, that was royal treatment. That was what Frank always dreamed about. Frank gets something out of his locker and for the first time in year’s he isn’t pushed or shoved. He’s waiting to be pushed and shoved. He looks for Gerard in the busy halls, and he finds him looking almost meaningfully at Frank. Like he was sorry, embarrassed. Whatever it was, it was disturbing. There was definitely something wrong with the world. This was the beginning of some dystopian novel, it had to be. 

Cause now that Gerard Way, motherfucking queen bee, was off his ass, so were the other worker bees who trailed him. Once they realized Gerard’s sudden change in demeanor, they followed suit, one by one.

It was when Pete tripped him on the way to math. His backpack and it’s contents falling around him. Gerard rolls his eyes. “God, you’re pathetic.” He says. And Pete, from Frankie’s perspective on the floor, seems absolutely crushed. Before he can even protest Gerard is gone. Pete turns to Frank and kicks his backpack further away from him and follows Gerard. 

And then, when Ray ‘accidentally’ spills water all over Frank and the book he was reading (which made him want to shove the wet pages in the taller guys’ mouth), Frank considers even throwing a punch or fighting back in some way. A false sense of confidence he had gained after the ‘fight’, if you can even call it that, with Gerard yesterday. But Gerard looks absolutely disgusted at Ray, and shoots him the dirtiest look. He hands Frank some paper towels and helps him dry off briefly, while apologizing under his breath. Frank and Ray exchange a confused look but don’t really say anything.

By lunch no one cared to even look Frank’s direction. He was yesterday's news. It felt so refreshing to be ignored. He ate his lunch outside under one of the trees. Alone, and bored since he didn’t have a readable book anymore. Mikey passes by him, he’s with a group of friends but doesn’t hesitate to walk Frank’s way. 

“You’re wet.” Mikey points out. Frank wonders if it was the saturated clothes or his still dripping hair that gave him away. 

The blonde sits a few inches away from him on the grass.

“Is everything okay?” 

Mikey didn’t explicitly mention Gerard, but they both knew that's what he meant. 

“He’s being nice to me today.” 

“I didn’t have anything to do with that, by the way.”

Mikey notices the book next to him and picks it up, only to drop it when he feels the gross damp pages. His eyes open up, a figurative light bulb turns on above him. In a swift move, he’s opened his backpack and taken out and orange book.

“Uh,” Frank utters, hesitating to take it in his hands as Mikey gives it to him.

“I think you’ll like it”

“What if someone pours water on me again? Or I get mugged and they really want this edition?”

“Make sure any of that happens after you finish reading. I think you’ll really like it” 

Frank looks down at the book, a voice calls Mikey's name from a distance and the blond sheepishly smiles at him and waves. “Keep it, don’t even give it back. I don’t want it. It’s yours” 

It was The Catcher In The Rye, something he’d actually mean to read for a while. The first page had the library’s sticker on it. Meaning Mikey was giving away a book that wasn't even his. Frank decides not to worry about it. 

In lab, after lunch, Gerard is talking too much. The teacher warns him once, and then twice, going on a long rant about his behavior or whatever. Frank only really pays attention when his name comes up, and a second later Gerard is in the empty seat next to him. This was pretty common. Frank didn’t have a lab partner, and he was the quiet kid. If anyone was acting up it was pretty much customary to put them next to him. And Frank wonders why, up until now, that had never been Gerard.

He tries not to be tense or make a big deal out of it. He does a damn good job at it. The one fucking this up was him, Gerard. Everything up till now was fine. No, really, it was fine. He just had to take it too far. His hair was kind of wet and his clothes kind of damp. The room was kind of cold and Frankie was kind of shaking. Gerard decided to take off his jacket and hand it to him like it was fucking nothing. 

“You’ve got to stop,” Frankie says. 

“What?”

“I appreciate all you’ve done but this is too much” Frankie pushes the jacket back to Gerard, who furrows his brow and seems almost upset. 

He looks to the front of the classroom and ties the jacket around his waist bitterly. He’s wearing a black Anthrax shirt, Frank’s favorite band at the moment. He’s not far from scrawny, not as built as his brother. He was, however, very pale. Pale and covered in blue veins. Veins that form labyrinths in his skin, that Frank can't look away from. 

And Frank thinks that Gerard knows he’s staring. No, he’s sure he knows he’s staring. 

The teacher talks about the last pieces of homework for the semester and is going table after table correcting. Gerard is clearly missing it, so Frank quietly pushes the answers so it’s more visible to him. They were even now. Gerard copies off him, not even trying to hide it. He has to get closer to Frankie, he doesn’t move the chair but cranes himself up and their knees touch. The contact makes Frank cringe, but he doesn't move. 

“Offer still stands,” Gerard says, not taking his eyes away as he jots down answers. His notebook is scribbled, it has lyrics at the margins and drawings that cover half the page. No words, no text, no notes. How the fuck did this man get by?

Frank is quiet. Quiet as Gerard finishes, as the teacher walks over and scribbled a quick signature on both their notebooks. As Gerard sneaks out his phone and puts an earbud on, only one. He leaves his left ear out as if he wants to listen to Frank. Just in case Frank talks. Frank does. 

“Okay. But only cause I really need to. One week, that’s it.” The words feel like he's given up. His bags were already packed (in case his parents told him to come back home, he wanted to be ready.)

Gerard takes the second earbud and puts it on. He feels Gerard's knee push harder into his as he stands up to leave. The class isn’t even over. There are a solid 15 minutes left. The teacher either doesn’t hear the door or doesn’t care. Because Gerard is gone and three other students have followed behind him. 

A minute then, he gets a text. An address. Gerard's address. And for a whole week, his new address.


End file.
